It is a good day for Earl Little Jr. The incoming University of Alabama football defensive back has signed with Jay-Z’s Roc Nation Sports. The division will represent Earl Little Jr. in the hunt for name, image, and likeness deals (NIL). In a recent Instagram post, Earl Little Jr. received a warm welcome. “Officially part of the #RocFam. Welcome, @earllittlejr,” the post read. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Roc Nation Sports (@rocnationsports) Roc Nation Sports’ has an impressive array of athletes including LaMelo Ball , Robinson Cano, Skylar Diggins-Smith, Kevin De Bruyne, Romelu Lukaku, Saquon Barkley, Dez Bryant, and more. Therefore, Earl Little Jr. will be in good company. “Roc Nation represents some of the biggest names in sports and entertainment,” an industry source said, according to On3. “Being linked with a group like this will help Earl Little strengthen his ability to obtain NIL deals. It also further strengthens the value of potential deals. Having a group...

LaMelo Ball is already off to a stellar year. The NBA Rookie of the Year and Charlotte Hornets Point Guard is launching an esports brand — MB1 Gaming — with the help of technology company One Up. The platform will support MB1 Gaming by providing the operating system and resources needed to thrive in the world of esports through the latest One Up OS platform. “We are excited to partner with stars like LaMelo in the creation of their own esports brands and communities through One Up’s turn-key technology platform,” One Up CEO Brandon Pitts said in a press release. “Many professional athletes are big gamers and are looking for unique ways to use their own gaming fandom to ignite and expand their fanbase. We are completely democratizing competitive esports, and providing gamers with the infrastructure to either compete and monetize their skills or launch their own esports business.”

Charlotte Hornets NBA player LaMelo Ball is planning some major investments to give back to his local basketball community, starting with the youth. According to the Charlotte Observer, the 2021 Rookie of the Year player is making moves to start his own high school basketball team in the North Carolina town to help grow and expand the game for future young basketball players. The outlet shares that Ball is partnering with basketball facility Carolina Courts to launch the “1 of 1 Prep Academy” for any and all up-and-coming basketball players in the coming months, in addition to a travel team. As a brand ambassador for Puma, both of Ball’s teams will be sponsored by the athleisure brand. Ball’s investments by way of the upgraded practice facility will put these local student athletes in a position to have access to some of the best resources in the world. Ball’s academy solely focuses on the sport with no formal classes, so players that opt to sign up for his academy will have to give...